First Valentines
by missvenita
Summary: Naruto celebrates Valentines Day for the first time. (Short Story)
1. Pre-Valentines Day AKA Thursday

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**This particular story is AU and does not follow the anime or manga plot-line.**

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><p>Valentine's Day wasn't a big holiday to the inhabitants of Konohagakure no Sato. The civilian citizens celebrated it quietly, and more often than not, the holiday was overlooked as any regular day to the shinobi of the leaf. They were far too busy with important matters such as missions and training. With the past 5 years riddled with war and it's aftermath of reconstructing the village and the whole system of the Leaf Village, there was literally no time for celebrating this miniscule holiday. This year however, Valentine's Day was going to be celebrated and not just by any shinobi. But by the loudest knuckleheaded one of them all.<p>

He had planned it all out.

He picked the flowers himself, refraining from going to Ino, otherwise she would tip Sakura off and the element of surprise would be ruined.

He had been taking cooking classes at night, that way Sakura wouldn't see him and become suspicious because she'd be sound asleep in her home.

He had bought the freshest ingredients for the meal he would cook and cleaned his apartment until it was more sterile than the hospital itself.

And speaking of hospital, he made the arrangements for her to be off the day of Valentines day and the weekend following it, same goes for mission assignments. Being the Hokage had perks to it.

Uzumaki Naruto was ready.

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><p>Haruno Sakura stretched her arms out in front of her. Finally pleased with herself for finishing the paperwork she had taken home from the hospital. After organizing them neatly in alphabetical order, she packed them away into her bag and threw herself onto her bed. It was 10 p.m. on a Thursday night. She hadn't had consecutive days off in months, so it was a pleasant surprise when she found out she was given both Friday and the weekend off.<p>

Her thoughts wandered off to her boyfriend of 2 years, none other than Uzumaki Naruto. Who would have thought she would fall for the idiot? She didn't see it coming, let alone realize it until it was pointed out to her by nearly everyone around her. They shared many passions and common interests, as well as memories and laughs.

They shared the grief of losing their teammate Uchiha Sasuke in the war, but she knew it made them stronger, as individuals and as a couple.

There are times Naruto blames himself for the loss of his best friend and Sakura's chance to be with her first love, and he feels guilt ridden for taking Sakura for himself. Sakura would stay silent and despite the tears that would roll down her cheeks, he would see she was angry. Perhaps for bringing up such negative thoughts.

Sakura would proceed to apologize to him for making him feel like she would have chosen Sasuke over him. Deep down, she was afraid that had Sasuke made it home alive, she might have. She was furious more so at herself than she was with Naruto. She told him she loved him and how she was eternally grateful to have someone like him caring so much about her. And she would apologize again until Naruto would shut her up with a rough kiss. And together they lie naked, tangled in the sheets with each other, basking in the silence after the heat of passion subsided. He would tell her he loved her no matter what. Because deep down, he knew before she did.

Sakura closed her eyes. Thinking negatively would spoil the night and she wanted nothing more than to enjoy the imminent days of relaxation to the fullest. She jumped out of bed with a newfound burst of energy. She would visit Naruto, knowing how it always makes him happy whenever she sought _him_ out instead of the other way around. She knew she would never, in a million lifetimes, deserve that boy and his undying love for her, but she sure as hell would die trying to make him happy.

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><p>Naruto was going through his closet, trying to find something appropriate to wear. He seemed to only have either super casual or super formal clothing, nothing in between. He knew Sakura wasn't much for big fancy things so wearing a suit would look absurd and probably just ensure a laugh from her. He could always just wear his usual attire, but he felt it was a little too casual for such a momentous occasion.<p>

"Yosh! It's time to do some last minute shopping!" Letting the door close behind him, he began sprinting towards the direction of the shops until he crashed into Sakura who was walking towards his apartment.

"Sakura-chan! Gomen nasai! Daijōbudesu ka?!"

"Hai, hai." Sakura smiled up at him and stepped into his warm embrace.

"What's wrong? Why are you here?" Naruto asked worriedly as she let go him.

Sakura shrugged. "Do I need a reason to come see you? Where were you running off to anyways?"

"Aww Sakura-chan, you can just say you miss me! And uhh...I was just going to do some clothes shopping."

Tilting her head to the side, she gave him a questioning look.

"Ano.. my clothes got ruined on my last mission."

"They did? I'll go shopping with you. We can't have you buying more orange clothing now can we?"

"Sakura-chan, you said you liked orange!"

"I said I liked oranges. The fruit baka. Not necessarily the color, especially not for everyday wear! Let's go! The shops might close soon!" Sakura began walking, expecting him to follow suit.

Naruto was inwardly panicking. How would he be able to find clothes to wear for tomorrow's surprise if she was coming with him? He couldn't let her see the apartment either, considering the last time she was over, it was a complete mess and 'uninhabitable' according to her. He didn't want to have to leave her alone tonight, but she'll understand soon enough and hopefully be forgiving.

"Sakura-chan, I'd really prefer to go alone, ano… it's much faster that way. Besides you should be at home resting!"

Hearing this Sakura stopped walking and turned around to face him, surprised that he was blowing her off.

"I won't linger around to window-shop if that's what you're worried abou–"

"Iie. I have to hurry, like you said the shops are closing soon. Go home and sleep ne? I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto gave her a big smile and leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips and in a flash he was gone.

Sakura was confused as to what just happened, suppressing the disappointed feeling she felt rising, she took a deep breath and trudged back on home. She can always indulge her loneliness with some ice cream and sake. You can mix alcohol with dairy right?


	2. Valentines Day AKA Friday

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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><p>The sun was barely peeking over the Hokage Mountain when Sakura's alarm clock went off. It was set to the usual alarm time on days she was due to work at the hospital. She had forgotten to turn it off the night before. A pale hand appeared from beneath the covers to turn it off, unintentionally breaking it completely. Sakura growled as she felt a familiar warm liquid seeping from her hand.<p>

"Kuso! Just what I need.." Sakura threw her covers off with her other uninjured hand and went to the bathroom to wash the blood off. She found a pair of tweezers and carefully pulled out the shards of glass before using her chakra to heal herself.

Raising her head to look at the mirror, she visibly cringed at the reflection staring back at her.

Her hair was an oily mess; matted to one side of her head where she had been sleeping on while the other stuck out towards the heavens. She had drool dried on the side of her mouth and her eyes had black tear stains from her mascara.

"Bet Naruto would still insist I was beautiful. If Sai could see me now, I would agree to his nickname for once."

Sakura had drunken herself to a stupor the previous night. She normally would have called Ino so they could whine and bitch about their boyfriends together but her friend was on a mission. So she had gone solo and ate all of her junk food and stores of Sake.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she decided not to take a shower just yet. She combed out her hair and put it into a high ponytail. She threw the remains of her alarm clock into a trash bin, making a mental note to purchase a new one.

"Time to burn off last night's binge to make room for tonights!" Sakura changed into her training clothes and locked her apartment with her mind set on destroying a few training grounds with some much needed venting.

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><p>Naruto looked around his apartment and grinned. Everything was perfect.<p>

All that was left now, was the execution of his brilliant plan. Checking his watch he noticed it was almost noon. He would kickstart his plan in the evening so the countdown begins. But he had nothing to do until then.

"I should go see what Sakura-chan's up to. Can't have her suspicious if she doesn't see me all day!"

Naruto kicked the door closed behind him and speeded towards his girlfriend's apartment. Using his copy of her key, he let himself in whilst calling out her name a few times before physically entering her bedroom.

"Where is she?" Naruto looked around her room and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. He wandered the rest of her house and frowned when he found the empty bottles of alcohol and tubs of ice cream. He also saw several bags of chips and candy bar wrappers.

_'I didn't know she was that upset last night...I wouldn't have left her alone if I knew. Why does she never admit when she wants me to stay with her?'_

Naruto began collecting the trash that littered the couch and living room floor. He found the closet where she kept her cleaning materials and he promptly vacuumed the perimeter. He wiped down the tables and windows, washed and dried her dishes, changed her bed sheets and replaced them with new ones, did all of her laundry and organized the haphazardly strewn medical scrolls.

He smiled triumphantly at his accomplishment. With a wipe of his brow he had cleaned her apartment in two hours. He was however beginning to worry that Sakura hadn't gotten back yet, she usually never left her apartment on days off.

"Maybe she's still upset?" Naruto wondered out loud. Downing a glass of ice water he sunk into the couch trying to think of where the woman could possibly be.

"She's either at the hot springs or training….only one way to find out!"

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><p>Sakura was lying down on the grass completely covered in dirt and grime. Despite being February it wasn't as cold or snowy. It hadn't snowed in Konoha since when she was a genin maybe. The sun was high up in the sky, but there was still an ever present chill that the wind brought about.<p>

"You've overdone it Haruno."

Sakura snorted.

"How ladylike." The deep voice sarcastically remarked.

"Did I interrupt your meditation, Neji-san?"

"More or less." Neji smirked as Sakura lifted herself up to a sitting position. She sensed him in the vicinity but didn't bother making her presence unknown let alone quiet. The civilians were used to her violent tendencies and the occasional structural breakages that came with it, as were the shinobi of the village.

"I haven't seen this much destruction in a long while."

_'Since you found out your parents died'_ Neji thought somberly, recounting the mass destruction that followed her discovery of their deaths when she returned from a mission. Regardless of her exhaustion she had lashed out in complete anger when Tsunade had denied her request to go after the man who killed them.

Kabuto.

When she was forbidden to leave the village she repelled everyone that tried reaching out to comfort her and threw herself into training. More so accurately labeled as an angry rampage or tantrum even.

Kakashi need not be asked. With a shared look and nod at Naruto, he vowed to watch over her, to ensure that she didn't accidentally kill herself in her irrational grieving state. Naruto and several others were sent on the mission to apprehend Yakushi Kabuto. However the team came back battered, Naruto was in a coma with several organ system failures, and it was enough to release Sakura's trance to be replaced with fear and worry for his well being. Kabuto hasn't been seen or heard from since, but many feared that Sakura still held a flame of revenge burning deep within her.

"Are you concerned for my well-being?" Sakura asked almost too casually. She had a hunch as to what he meant by in a long while. But was in no mood to discuss the subject matter.

"For the environments'. But sure. Naruto is my friend and you are his significant other."

"That's mean Neji-san. Do you not consider me a friend? I thought our friendship was closer than you and Naruto's." Sakura clucked her tongue in disapproval.

"Says the one who attaches a formal honorific to my name." Neji rolled his eyes and took a seat beside her on the ground.

"I'm just stressed from work. And I guess life in general. Needed to blow off some steam."

"Isn't Naruto your daily punching bag?" Neji said dryly.

Sakura laughed, "Iie. I hit him for being stupid. You know how you and the other guys spar with each other when you're angry about something, and come to me for healing in the aftermath?" Neji nodded. "It's the same thing for me, except I prefer attacking something that I don't have to heal afterwards."

"I understand."

Sakura gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry for disturbing your meditation."

"Hn. Don't worry about it." Neji reached over and patted her leg. "As long as you are feeling better."

Sakura was about to say something when a familiar scream was heard in the distance.

"SAAAAKURAAA-CHAAAAAN!"

Neji groaned standing up. "You can hear him well before you begin to feel his chakra signature."

Sakura giggled, as she turned around and waved at the blonde boy. He had a worried look on his face but it was soon replaced with a wide smile for her as he got closer.

"Neji? What are you doing alone with my Sakura-chan!?" Naruto stood between them his arms spread out acting as a shield from the Hyuuga prodigy who scowled at the boy for ruining the peace.

"Relax Naruto, we were just talking. He was just checking to see if I was okay, I sort of disturbed his meditation." Sakura was tugging on Naruto's orange and black jacket trying to get the boy to stop glaring at the byakugan user who was glaring right back.

"I would never do something as disgraceful."

Even though he was only half serious about his accusatory question, Naruto rolled his eyes at Neji's proper upbringing but was nonetheless also grateful. Neji was very similar in demeanor to Sasuke so Naruto was undeniably insecure that there is a possibility, how ever small, that Sakura might fall for him.

"Good to hear! Anyway Sakura-chan, come on let's go on a date!" Turning around he offered his hand to the kunoichi still on the ground.

Sakura took his hand and hoisted herself up. She winced as she felt her muscles and bones ache.

"Let me get cleaned up first Naruto, I'll meet you at Ichiraku–" Naruto cut her off.

"Leave it to me Sakura-chan! See you later Neji!" Naruto slapped his male friend on the back and lifted his battered girlfriend into his arms.

"Mataku, koitsu." Neji shook his head watching a now orange and pink dot disappear into the distance.

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><p>"Naruto! I can travel myself! Look, you've gotten yourself dirty too!"<p>

"Don't worry about that Sakura-chan!"

"Where are we going?"

Sakura had initially assumed they would be going straight to the ramen stand, but Naruto was going in the opposite direction. She didn't get a verbal answer as she began to see their destination up ahead.

The Third Training Ground. Team 7's old training ground.

"What are we doing here Naruto? Did you want to spar with me?" Naruto landed in front of the 3 logs and gently put her down on her feet. Sakura walked towards the middle log as memories replayed in her mind to the fateful day where it all began. Turning around to ask her previous question again, she was stopped by the sight before her.

Naruto was down on one knee holding a closed velvet box.

"Sakura-chan, I've gone back and forth with myself, trying to find the perfect place to do this. I couldn't think of any other place more fitting than the place where we first became teammates, and where I realized my crush on you became more than that 3 years later. This is where I fell in love with you."

Sakura's hand was covering her mouth with bated breath. She could feel tears pricking her eyes, as she looked down at Naruto. The boy she had never given a second thought to when they were younger. The loud knuckle-headed ninja she believed to be beneath her. The idiot she took care of and was protected by. The hero of the village, and her savior.

Naruto opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring.

"I love you with all of my heart and always will, I promise to protect you and to stay by your side no matter what. Please make me the luckiest and the happiest man on this earth, by granting me this honor. Haruno Sakura, will you marry me?"

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><p><strong><strong>***For anyone that needs translations, just use google! NOT google translate because it won't work since I didn't type in Japanese hiraganakatakana or kanji format.*******

**I want to thank everyone that reviewed the previous chapter! ****I hope you all enjoyed this one!**

**As always, ****I'm looking forward to your feedback!**

**Thank you for taking the time out to read my story! Happy Reading! :)**


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